WHAT EVERY WRITER DREAMS OF…

PublishedApril 3, 2017

Life is full of interruptions and missed opportunities. It’s no surprise. Everyone’s busy, juggling work, home, family and more. Let’s not even get into the demands of social media. That ugly beast has sharp meat hooks that are in so deep, many will never escape.

Living the life of a writer is even more challenging. Creative types are different. Writers are observers who often lose track of time. We tend to sleep when we work and work when we sleep.We’re humble and proud at the same time. One minute we love the work we’ve created, the next minute we hate it. We’re dreamers, procrastinators, loners and often misunderstood.Not everyone grasps the reasons that drive a writer to create. That’s okay. We only need them to buy the books, right?

Ask any writer what they dream of most and you’ll likely get one of the following answers:

A long stretch of time to write, uninterrupted

Never-ending supply of inspiration turned motivation

International Bestseller

An International Bestseller may not be in every writers’ future, but the rest is within reach.

Over the weekend, I had my first writing retreat with the members of my critique group. We chose a bed and breakfast in rural Maryland, about an hour drive from the hustle and bustle of Annapolis. Instead of dreaming of a large block of time, we got off our butts and made one. None of us knew if it would work out. Be careful what you wish for and all that. We’ve heard the familiar adage before. It implies a disappointing outcome. That was not the case here. This time we exceeded our expectations. Thanks to the Frederick Inn Bed & Breakfast and the wonderful innkeepers, Pat and Kirk, who went out of their way to make our retreat special.

The third floor was our haven. Four bedrooms with a common area that gave us the privacy and quiet all writers need. We were also given permission to use some of the kitchen facilities, making meal time convenient. No momentum lost or broken by running out and getting something to eat.When we finally came up for air, with the need to stretch our legs, the innkeepers gave us a fun challenge. A treasure hunt, of sorts. Walk the property to see if we could find the remains of the church that once stood on their land.

While there was no old church to be found, we did discover their secret. Tombstones. And lots of them.

Something like this is every writers dream come true. A welcoming environment, the gift of time and a little intrigue for an active imagination.

We had a cozy common area where we could sit and write together. While some read a passage or two aloud for instant feedback, the majority of the material will be critiqued later this month. The purpose of this retreat was to see how much we could write with limited distractions. And it turns out we can write a heck of a lot.

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